Mikal Arteta’s Arsenal and Thomas Frank’s Brentford will face each other at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
Arsenal are favourites heading into the London derby. After all, Brentford are in danger of getting relegated to the Championship at the end of the season, while the Gunners are aiming to win the Premier League title.
With Gabriel Jesus now back to full fitness, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has a dilemma over team selection.
Kai Havertz has been playing well as a false nine for the Gunners during the time when Jesus was out, and it would be unfair on the 24-year-old to drop him out from the starting lineup.
Ahead of the London derby at the Emirates Stadium, former Chelsea striker and BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton has predicted Arsenal to win and has outlined how Havertz has transformed.
Havertz struggled in the opening weeks and months of the season following his move from Chelsea in the summer of 2023.
The Germany international attacker is in top form now and is playing extremely well for Arsenal.
The 24-year-old has made 19 starts and seven substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Gunners this season. He has scored seven goals and given three assists in those games.
Chris Sutton predicts Arsenal vs Brentford, praises Kai Havertz
Sutton told BBC Sport: “Even I am getting excited about what Arsenal are doing. They are flying and just can’t stop scoring in the Premier League and, if they win this game, they will go back to the top of the table for the first time since the end of December.
“There are a few Gunners players who have impressed me recently but I think Kai Havertz deserves some praise. He was dug out a bit at the start of the season when people questioned why they had signed him, but he has turned into a key player and has proved a lot of those doubters wrong.
“The bad news for Brentford is Ben Mee’s ankle injury means their entire first-choice back four is missing for this game, when they probably need them all to be fit to stand any chance.
“There was plenty of controversy about this fixture last season, when Brentford’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw was wrongly allowed to stand after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) used the wrong offside line, but I don’t see the Gunners having any problems taking the three points this time.
“Aaron Ramsdale will be playing because regular keeper David Raya cannot face his parent club, and he had a wobble or two in the reverse fixture in November. But I could probably go in goal for Arsenal at the moment and they would still win.
“Sutton’s prediction: 3-0.”
My View: Kai Havertz hitting form at the right time
In my opinion, Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has hit form at the right time. We are into the business end of the season, and I think that the former Chelsea player is now proving why manager Mikel Arteta persevered with him.
I think that Havertz will have to stay on top of his form in the final weeks and months of the season, as Arsenal chase the Premier League title.
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